Retreat! Retreat!

On Saturday, I abandoned my family to go spend the night with strangers--well, not total strangers. My crit partners! I may be in the revision cave, but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to leave it. Especially if it's for work purposes (please ignore the wine).

Across digital lines of communications I'm quite tight with my CPs, but in real life, I'd never met one until this weekend. Fortunately, none of us turned out to be large, hairy bald men impersonating women on twitter. We were all, in fact, totally awesome, insightful, supportive, and incredibly creative.

Can I just say, if you have not taken the time to hang out with other writers, make it a priority. I know it's hard to find people. But offer to host, to organize, to drive--whatever it takes--and make it happen! Why? Because writers are the best people for other writers. My CPs did not in fact think I was crazy when I showed up with this:

Really! Instead, we all talked about revisions, and how we handle them. And what we're working on. And everything we'd ever worked on. And what we might work on in future. And basically everything else in our lives, all in a couple of days that felt more like a week away from the kiddos (one of whom projectile vomited into the sink less than an hour after my arrival home).

So, after blabbing endlessly for hours, skpying with three other writerly friends, and spending a long, quiet stretch of Sunday in our PJs simultaneously clicking away at our laptops, I left with a renewed sense of purpose in my work, hope for my friends, and a big stack of additions to my TBR pile! Thanks, girls. It was lovely.